Never the Same
by wishing-is-wasting
Summary: “We’re engaged!” Those words turned Troy’s whole life upside down.Hopelessly in love with Gabriella he is left speechless of the new of her impending marriage.But will Gabriella realise something she should have along time ago before its too late?Troyella
1. Chapter 1

**AN Hey guys, so this is my brand new two shot! I've almost finshed th second part so if i get lots of reviews i'll hopefully post it in the next few days!! Anyways look out for more updates from me!**

**Disclaimer - i own the plot...i think**

Troy had known Gabriella since they were 16. She had won him over with her beautiful smile and gorgeous looks. But when he had asked if she wanted to go out with him she had thought he meant after school. Not date him. And so their friendship had begun. Troy would date girls while trying to get over Gabi. Gabi would laugh at him as he dumped every single one of them. Every time she'd ask him what was wrong with them and he would say they weren't for him. What he wanted to say was that they weren't her so they couldn't be right for him. But he never did.

They had grown inseparable to the point that when they had gone to college every one thought they were dating. Gabriella soon set them straight. Troy had listened to Gabi telling him about all the different guys she liked just so that she knew she could trust him.

And well she trusted him. But now he had waited too long and she saw him as just her best friends. Whenever she looked at Troy there wasn't any look of lust in her eyes, just a twinkle that she had when she was about to laugh.

Every time Troy saw her with another man on campus he could feel his heart break but would force himself to smile at her and walk on by. No matter what he was determined to look like he was happy for her. Even if he wasn't.

Troy had tried everything to make her see that he was in love with her, except well telling her. But everything else! She just seemed blind to the fact he was crazy about her, she just assumed he thought of her as friend like the way she thought about her.

Troy would get up in the mornings and see her sitting at the table a cup of coffee in her hands and her hair all tousled and she would smile at him and he would just melt. That was the problem with living with her. She was perfect. He had thought that he'd fall out of love with her once she saw what a bad roommate she was but she wasn't. She was the best roommate ever. And whenever he would see her walk out the bathroom with a towel wrapped around her damp body he would feel his heart leap to his throat as he stared at her.

He sat up on the sofa as he felt his phone vibrate in his pocket. He flipped it open smiling at the message

_Boy California is hot!_

_Briexxx_

Gabriella had gone to California for a week with some of her friends from college for Spring break. Troy had had to stay home because he had to train for basketball and had a lot of homework to catch up with. Gabriella had been gone 6 days and she was coming home tomorrow! Troy smiled as he tapped in a reply.

A few minutes later the phone vibrated again and troy flipped it open, again.

_Got a surprise for you! Tell you 2moz._

_Xx_

Troy smiled. What could it be? She sounded happy. But he couldn't really tell. Troy hoped she hadn't met someone. That would kill him. Maybe the surprise was that she had fallen in love with him! Or maybe she bought a cat for them or something! Troy smiled, you just never knew with Gabriella.

If she had a surprise for him maybe he should get a surprise for her maybe he should do a surprise for her. Troy glanced around the tidy flat. What would she like? This was insane. He knew Gabriella like the back of his hand but whenever it came to buying her presents he blanked over.

Troy lay back on the sofa ransacking his mind for idea's of what to get her. It had to be something big. But not too big. Expensive, but not to expensive. It had to be perfect.

* * *

Troy anxiously stood at the airport waiting for her to come into his view so that he could run and hug her tightly, feeling her petite body in his arms. He had missed her so much when she was gone and couldn't wait for the surprise. He craned his neck some more and peered over at the arrivals gate hoping to see her, but she wasn't there yet.

Troy lowered his neck and fingered his mobile in his pocket, willing it to ring just so he had something to do while he was waiting. Troy looked up again but still none of his friends. Suddenly his mobile vibrated in his pocket signalling an incoming text

_Dude, I got big news_

Troy frowned at Chad's message. With Chad it could be anything from 'I got a new basketball' to ' I got a car!' You just never knew. Troy pushed his phone back into his pocket. And glanced around again. Suddenly his face lit up. He could see Chad!

Troy's eyes narrowed as he saw Chad go back and smile at someone he couldn't see. Maybe Chad had got a girlfriend! Troy leaned in a bit more almost knocking into someone else.

Chad was leaning in and kissing this person.

Wow, Troy thought, he must have got a girlfriend!

Chad held out his hand and Troy saw a hand slip into it and then Chad walked out again…but with Gabriella.

Troy's heart plummeted, his legs turned to jelly and his world went blurry as he saw the 'couple' walk towards him, hand in hand.

"Hey Troy" Gabriella said nervously "Surprise?"

"Urgh…um…bleurgh" Troy croaked out while Chad looked at him in amusement

"And there's more!" Troy looked from Chad, to Gabi.

"We're engaged! Isn't this great?" Chad said brightly shoving Gabriella's left hand into Troy's face.

Troy looked at the ring sparkling away.

"I…uh…gotta...thing" He spluttered before running off towards the exit. Gabriella turned to face Chad.

"I told you to let me handle it" She said grouchily walking towards the exit sullenly while Chad shrugged and picked up the bags followed her.

* * *

Troy lay on his bed throwing a basketball at his ceiling. Soon Chad and Gabriella would be married and she'd be gone forever. Maybe he could have accepted it if it was with anyone else, but Chad? Come on there had to be a law against that. Or something.

And now he could never tell her how he felt because she'd me his best friend's wife.

Troy forcefully threw the ball at the wall, trying to unleash some inner angst. For the last 6 years Troy had been kidding himself that somehow it would be okay with him and Gabriella. But if there was one thing he couldn't stand was if Chad moved in with them.

A timid knock aroused him form his thoughts

"Come in" He mumbled flatly. Gabriella poked her head into his room.

"Hey" She said smiling sadly at him.

She walked toward him when he didn't answer and sat ion the end of his bed

"I didn't want you to find out that way" She blurted out

"Oh. So I guess if you guys are getting married it means he moving in, right?" Troy asked cheerfully trying not to let his sadness show

Gabriella nodded at troy chewing hard on her lip

"So, I'm going to move out" Troy finished

Gabriella's head shot upright and she turned to face him

"Why?" She asked her eyes expressing an emotion Troy couldn't even begin to understand

"I don't want to live with you and him…You'll be all…couplely" Gabriella laughed

"Don't go Troy" She whispered softly

"I can't stay" Troy said forcefully

"Why?" Gabriella challenged

Troy looked at her desperately wanting to tell her

"I just cant" Troy said swinging his legs off the bed and walking out of the room. Gabriella clambered up and followed him

"Troy? Come on. I know this is shocking but can't you just be happy for me?"

Troy turned around and looked her in the eye

"I want to…" Troy shook his head "No, its just too weird Gabriella, I feel like I'm …I'm sorry" Troy grabbed his jacket and left slamming the door behind him.

Gabriella stared at the door blinking back the tears that were in her eyes. The last thing she wanted was to upset Troy. She just couldn't help how she felt. She just hoped he would come around. She didn't want to lose her best friend.

* * *

Troy looked up at the night sky, at the stars twinkling away.

He had always had a picture of Gabriella in a beautiful white dress walking sown an aisle towards him. Well that would still happen, except he'd just be the best man not the groom.

He groaned and rested his head in his hands. He just couldn't understand how this happened. Whenever they had hung out together – all three of them – Chad and Gabriella had never acted different. This was just too weird. Any other guy, just not his best friend. Loads of girls wanted Chad, but he had to have the one girl Troy loved. Life sucked.

Troy knew that it was never going to happen for him, and he so badly wanted to move on and be happy for his best friends, to not feel like punching Chad when he pictured them together. But he couldn't because that wasn't the way love worked. He wanted to not feel like kissing her every time she smiled at him but he couldn't, he wanted to not be in love. But he was. In love with his best friends fiancé. And it sucked.

**AN SO whatcha think?? Its kinda diffrent to my other oneshots but y'know! So it woudl be reallt great if you all reviewed!!**


	2. Chapter 2

AN** Ok i am SO sorry for not updating but i went to Italy and when i came back i found that my computer had like been killed by trojans, so its been kinda hard to update! So i'm using my mums laptop to update this and yeah enjoy, i personally dont like it that much but y'know!**

"How's flat hunting going?" Gabriella asked casually coming up behind Troy and peering over his shoulder. Troy shrugged and closed the newspaper.

"You don't have to go" Gabriella pleaded

"Brie…I can't tell you why but I really have to go. No joke"

Gabriella pouted, and sat down next to him on the sofa

"Do you want to talk about this?" She asked, her eyes filled with worry as confusion as she watched Troy's eyes flicker from advertisement to ad on the paper, but never once looking up at her and telling her she looked nice, like he would normally do.

"No" Came his voice just as she knew it would, as his eyes stayed firmly fixed on the paper

"Troy…" Gabriella paused wondering how to phrase it "Your obviously upset…and I just want to help. Please. I know this is awkward but, I don't want us to fall out over this"

Troy carefully put his paper down, his heart burning with hurt. The way he saw her face light up when Chad appeared in the room, or how she would jump up and fling her arms around him and kiss him, the way she looked at him, compared to the way she looked at himself. He could never contend with Chad and he knew it. Even though Chad was his best friend he couldn't help but not be happy for him. And he felt terrible about it.

"Do you feel left out?" He heard Gabriella ask him softly

Of course he felt left out. It was like his two best friends were suddenly best friends with each other, leaving him the odd one out with no one to turn to.

He stayed silent, his eyes now dull and un sparkling

"Gabriella. I need to be alone. Please" He turned to look at her, his eyes dull, and unresponsive to her pleas "Just go" he closed his eyes as he finished muttering to her

"Troy…" Gabriella muttered urgently "Don't do this"

Troy opened his eyes immediately

"Do what?" He spat, his voice filled with anger and resentment "You actually expect me to be happy for you? Happy that you fucking went out with my fucking best friend for almost a year without fucking telling me? That I should be happy that you couldn't find any one else to fuck so you turned to him? Then I'm meant to be bloody happy when you tell me your getting married? What the fuck do you want from me?" AT the end he was panting slightly, his now dark eyes filled with a burning anger, ignoring the tears welling up in his best friends eyes.

He smiled bitterly

"See. And don't even fucking tell me that wasn't the truth."

Gabriella sat still, horrified by her friends harsh words towards her

"You know what? I'm done Gabriella. I'm leaving. " He stood up, shaking his head, he walked to the door slowly as if waiting for her to jump up at stop him but she stayed frozen in her seat, his hand reach the door knob, and grasped it tightly.

"I'm done with our friendship." He said spitefully "I'm done with you"

And with that he flung the door open and stepped outside, slamming it behind him, while Gabi stayed fixed on the sofa, tears silently streaming down her face.

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"I found an apartment"

Gabriella smiled weakly at him,

"That's good I guess."

He smiled slightly,

"I came to get my stuff" he explained plainly,

"Oh" Gabriella said, looking down at her pyjamas

"I hope I didn't wake you" Troy said, more of a statement, a pleasantry than a question

"I was up, Chad got up early" Gabriella explained, biting her lip as she watched Troy flinch at the remainder of their coupledom

"I'll just go get my stuff then" Troy said quickly, brushing past her as he made his way to his old bedroom, boxes in hands.

Gabriella sighed as she curled up on the sofa, tucking her knees neatly under the blanket as she tried to cocncentrate on the TV and not on the distant humming coming from Troys room.

Even now, three weeks on, it still felt alien to her. Waking up at not hearing the shower running, Troy's ever so slightly out of tune humming or the television blaring sports results. She had lived here with Troy, in her mind it was her and Troys flat – Not her and Chads.

As she looked down, glancing at the ring that had caused so much trouble she wondered, not for the first time, if it was worth it. Losing her best friend for someone who she had been so sure she was in love with. Now though….she felt as though she had been to caught up in the moment, so desperate for a hollywood ending she would take whatever she was given.

And what she had taken had her cost her her best friend. A price she wasn't so sure that she was willing to pay.

Chad was so different, so exotic, compared to anyone else, but when it came down to it she knew that he didn't see the real her. At least not all of her. Not the way that Troy did.

He had missed all the stuff that Troy had sat with her for, Break ups, fights, money problems, and even her fathers death…

She felt tears prickle at her eyes remembering him. Then she remembered Troys arms wrapped tightly around her, letting her know that he wasn't going anywhere. He hadn't said anything to her, because eh knew that nothing he could say would make it better, it wouldn't bring her father back so all he could do was let her know that he was there, if she ever needed him.

The thought of losing Troy the way she had lost her father shook her, sent shivers down her spine,

And then it hit her. She didn't need Chad. At least not in the way she needed Troy. And if Chad was what was standing in their way then it was over. She couldn't marry him knowing that with every word she uttered Troy became further out of reach.

And just after she realized that she realized something else.

His reaction when he heard

His secrecy.

His desire to escape them.

His anger.

Him leaving.

It all made sense now.

He must be….was he…Gabriella felt her heart thud faster than a bullet from a gun as she was hit with the realization.

"Well, I'm going now"

Gabriella swung around, her face flushed as she saw Troy carrying several cardboard boxes, his eyes filled with sorrow and regret.

She wanted to run up to him, to stop him going, but she couldn't. Not while she was still with Chad.

"Have you got all your stuff?" She managed to squeak, her lisp dry all of a sudden and her throat parched.

"Enough of it." He paused for a moment, his enchanting eyes taking one last glance of the room, of Gabriella. He felt a pang in his heart as he saw Chad's jersey draped casually over a chair and he blinked hard

"Have a good life Gabriella" He muttered before walking out the door, never looking back.

000000000000000000000000000

"Troy...Its me...Gabi, i just called again in case you wanted to meet up some time and talk? And also you left your lucky jersey here and i know you have a big game coming up and you always ear it before, so i could drop it by at your new flat if you wanted, just call me back with your address." Gabriella paused "I really miss you Troy, please call be back, i know your hurt but i just want to know your ok. Well bye i guess" Reluctantly Gabriella pulled her phone away from her ear and flipped it shut, squeezing her eyes shut for a moment before opening them and frantically scanning the small cafe for Taylor.

It had been a week since their last encounter and Gabriella was going crazy with worry and fear over her best, or should that be former best , friend. It was like he had disappeared of the face of the earth. She let out a gentle sigh just as she saw Taylor walk into the cafe.

"Tay, do you know where he is?" Gabriella immediately asked her best friend, ignoring the normal pleasantries and skipping straight to the point.

Gabriella watched her friends torn expression and felt a wave f pity for her best friend who had to unwillingly keep both sides.

"He doesn't want you to know" Taylor told her friend while shrugging her coat off to avoid having to look at Gabriella's upset face.

Gabriella open her mouth to speak but in stead felt tears welling up in her eyes. Her best friend who she had known since as long as she could remember, who had been there with her for everything didn't want her to know where he was anymore, and he didn't want to know her anymore.

"He wont tell me what happened between you guys though" Taylor furrowed her brow as she tried to prompt her friend, desperate for answers "He's really torn up"

"Oh Tay..."Gabriella sighed "i really messed everything up, i should never have lied, and then maybe this wouldnt have happened" She burst out, furiously swiping at her eyes.

"What did you lie about?" Taylor frowned

"CHAD" Gabriella yelled

"Oh" Taylor muttered "well you cant blame him. You sneak around with his best friend behind his back for a year ad then tell him you're getting married, i'd be mad if i were him. And it doesn't help that he's in lo-" Taylor broke off, her eyes wide and her face frozen, as if her not moving would stop time, or rather turn back time.

"Hes in love with me?" Gabriella asked, her brown eyes wide, al her thoughts coming true.

"Oh Gabi, how could you not see it, that boys been in love with you forever, he even asked you out, remember?" And Gabriella did remember "He dated loads of girls to try and get over you, since you clearly weren't in love with him. And then you announce youre marrying his best friend. Gabs he dying inside." Taylor declared dramatically

Gabriella felt her heart thumping inside her chest as her mind was penetrated with images off an all too familiar blue eyed boy. And at that moment she could only think of one thing to say.

"I broke up with Chad"

Taylor stared at her in astonishment

"34 Maddup Lane, apartment 5"

"What?" Gabriella asked confused

Taylor rolled her eyes

"That's his address. Go fix this"

Gabriella didn't need to be told twice.

00000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000

Gabriella's heart was pounding as she paused outside the door, she didn't know if he would even answer the door let alone speak to her. She closed her eyes and took a deep breath, knowing that even if he didn't want to see her then she could know that she had at least tried. She needed to know the truth.

With her eyes still firmly shut, blocking out the world, she raised her hand and knocked several times on the dark wood door.

"Open up, open up, open up" She muttered desperately to herself, as she flicked open her eyes, glancing anxiously at the large door, and pondering whether he was even home.

Just as she considered turning around and running back to her apartment and crying over her now boy-friendless, best –friendless state, the door was flung open, and she was met by Troy's face.

It was different though, for it contained none of its usual charming features, his usually enchanting aquamarine eyes were the colour of he depth of a stormy sea, his lips usually curved into a sweet inviting smile, were now so thin.

Gabriella recoiled slightly seeing the look of pure anger written all over her face. To be truthful she hadn't expected this. At all.

"Guess who I just got a call from?" Troy asked sarcastically, eyeing up Gabriella's immaculate state, her perfectly curled hair, her fitted clothes and her flawless make up.

"Who?" Gabriella asked timidly, finding herself suddenly scared of the person who she trusted, or should that be used to trust, most in the whole world.

"My best friend" Troy spat out angrily, a look of venom in his eyes "Who called me confused and upset over why his girlfriend of over a year dumped him yesterday, without an excuse may I add, an then just said sorry, slid her ring off and pushed it at him!"

By the end his blazing gaze was fixed on Gabriella's left hand, which sported no jewellery, certainly none of the engagement variety

Gabriella stood frozen

"Care to explain?" He asked, snidely

Gabriella took a shaky breath

"Care to explain why you ever told me you were in love with me?" Gabriella retorted, as she watched as Troy's face went deathly pale, his eyes turned from navy to ice.

When he didn't say anything Gabriella continued

"I'm sorry Troy. I'm sorry I suck around with Chad for a year behind your back, I'm sorry you found out about it that way, I'm sorry you move out, I'm sorry that It made you so upset and most of all" She looked him directly in his eyes, numb with shock, "I'm sorry that I only realised now just how much I love you"

She lowered her gaze from his eyes, and instead found herself gazing around his tiny new apartment.

"Your flats nice" she offered in return for his silence. Troy just still kept staring at her, unable to move, let alone speak.

"Maybe I should go" Gabriella muttered to herself

She toyed with the idea of kissing him on the cheek, or hugging him, but decided it bets, to simply go. She turned around slowly, her chestnut curls glinting in the hallways harsh light.

She took another deep breath, as she began to walk down the hallway towards the stairs

"Brie!" Gabriella whipped around her eyes meeting his, and before she could say anything, or do anything his lips were on hers, and they were kissing like there was no tomorrow. It was so wrong, she had broken up with his best friend, but it was so right, they fitted together as if they had been doing it their whole lives. It was perfect and right then nothing else mattered, no one else mattered; all that mattered was that they had finally found each other.

It might not be a happy ever after but it was a start.

**AN so please review good or bad!!**


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